New Model r Granular Porous Media:

1. Model Formulation

• • . A new model for porous media comprised of monosized, or nearIy mono-

.Sized grains, is developed. In applying this model to a packed bed, the bed
isassumed to consist of a series of statistically identical unit bed elements
~ach of which in tum consists of a number of unit cells connected in parallel.
~ach unit cell resembles a piece of constricted tube with dimensions which ALKIVIADES C. PAYATAKES
~re random variahles. The problem of flow through each unit cell is reduced, CHI TIEN and
~ubject to reasonable assumptions, to the determination of the flow in an RAFFI M. TURIAN
iDfinitely long periodicalIy constricted tube. The solution of this flow prob- Department of Chemical Engineering
lem is given in a companion publication. This model, together with the and Materials Science
~()lution of the flow through it, can be used for the modeling of processes Syracuse Univer.ity
",hich take place in the void space of a bed. Syracuse, New York 13210
• As a preliminary test, theoretical friction factor values, based on the
proposed model, were compared with experimental ones for two different
1>eds and found to be in good agreement even in the region of high Reynolds
pumbers where the nonlinear inertia terms are significant.

SCOPE
The main purpose of this paper is to present a new
Ip:odel for porous media of the type represented by ran-
~m1y packed beds of monosized, or nearIy monosized,
grains. The model has been developed as a first step in
U~e study of filtration of suspensions through packed beds
::::(~()mmonly encountered in water and waste water treat-
#íent), and its immediate objective is to provide a basis
. . .~.9l. the prediction of the deposition rate of particulate mat-
.!~~and the attendant increase in pressure drop, which is
:§atised by the accumulation of deposited matter in the
iliterstitial spaces. In addition, the proposed model should
~fof value in the modeling of any process taking place in
tgranular porous medium, which is relatively more
\~~rongly influenced by the nature of the void space of the
porous medium than by that of the solid matrix. As a pre-
.l~ípinary model validation, the model has been used to ob-
~#W the relationship of the friction factor versus the Reyn-
• ~Ws number of a packed bed of the type described aboye.
The development of the model presented herein is ne-
.~~~sitated by the failure of existing porous media models
@:explaining and predicting the major phenomena asso-
9.illted with the deep bed filtration process. Capillary
W9dels are found to be totally inadequate in the estimation
~fthe filtration rate mainly because of the omission of the
U.~11fVature effect in assumed Poiseuille flow, which is be-
Jieved to be of significance in the deposition process of the
particulate matter. As a consequence, the filtration coeffi-
Cient obtained from trajectory calculations based on capil-
?lary models is several orders of magnitude less than that
observed in experiments (Payatakes, 1972). Several pre-
vious investigators have employed the single collector con-
cept in the study of deep bed filtration (Yao et al., 1971;
Spielman and Goren, 1970). The single collector concept
assumes that the porous medium is equivalent to an as-
sembly of independent bodies of simple geometry. How-
ever, because of the inherent limitation that the grains (or
collectors) are considered to be independent, the effect of
the neighboring grains on each other cannot be dealt with,
which in tum results in failure to predict the pressure drop
increase resulting from the deposition of particulate mat-
ter. Furthermore, these studies fail to give accurate predic-
tions when the sizes of the particles to be filtered are sub-
stantially greater than 2p.. The filtration model proposed
by FitzPatrick (1972) which utilizes the packed bed model
developed by Happel (1959) represents an improvement
in the area of single collector models since it accounts, to
a certain extent, for the presence of neighboring grains,
but in the opinion of the authors it is not equipped to deal
with the filtration of large particles. It is also not well
suited for prediction of the effect of deposited matter on
either the value of the filter coefficient or the increase of
pressure drop.
The basic flow channel considered in this new model is
that of a constricted tube formed by the surface of neigh-
boring grains. Thus, the three important factors concem-
ing the filtration process-effect of neighboring grains,
curvature effect, and the convergent-divergent nature of
flow channel-are included in the model which is believed
to be better suited for further studies in deep bed filtration.

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE

A new ~odel of the void space in randomly packed beds
of monoslzed, or nearly monosized, grains has been de-
veloped. According to tbis model, a bed is divided into a
series of statistically identical unit bed elements any one
of which can be used for describing the entire hedo Each
unit bed element consists of a number of unit cells con-
nected in paralIel and each unit cell resembles a piece of
constricted tube. The unit cells within a unit bed element
are not, in general, equal to each other. A number of dif-
ferent types of unit cells are considered. Unit celIs belong-

Page 58 January, 1973

ing to different types are unequal but similar.
The geometry of all unit cells can be uniquely determined
from the following readily obtainable experimental infor-
mation: grain size distribution, porosity, and saturation
versus capillary pressure data. The model can be used to
study the flow of fluids through granular randomly packed
beds. It is shown that this problem can be reduced, subject
to reasonable assumptions, to the determination of the flow
in a single infinitely long periodically constricted tube,
the geometry of which is connected to that of the unit
cells. The solution of this problem is given in a companion
publication. Based on this solution, it is shown that the
friction factor of granular randomly packed beds can be
calculated as a function of the superficial Reynolds num-
ber even in the region of intermediate Reynolds values
where the nonlinear inertia effects are not negligible. It
is shown that, in the important case of low Reynolds
numbers, the friction factor is given by the product of
(N Re ). -1 and two other factors. The first of these factors
L1TERATURE SURVEY
Most of the models which have been proposed concem-
ing the void space of porous materials aim either at the
study of the permeability of these materials or the deter-
mination of effective diffusion coefficients (for example,
inside catalyst pellets). The present model belongs to the
former class and is concemed with the void space among
the grains of packed beds rather than the micropore struc-
ture which individual grains, such as active carbon gran-
ules, may possess. A critical review of the earlier of models
concemed with the permeability of porous structures has
been presented by Scheidegger (1961). Scheidegger has
classified these into capillaric models, hydraulic radius
theories, drag theories of permeability, and statistical
theories. One should, perhaps, distinguish between statis-
tical theories that treat bulk phenomena on an average
basis while ignoring local structural details and statistical
models which are concerned with local structural details
and attempt to predict buIk phenomena based on an as-
sumed pore structure of statistical nature. Thus, the pres-
ent model would be classified as a statistical modelo
The first statistical model was advanced by Childs and
Collis-George (1950). These authors recognized that even
if the porous structure could be considered as a bundle of
capillary tubes, one could not casually assume that these
tubes are of identical size. Instead, they have diameters
,,;ith a certain random distribution-the pore size distribu-
hon. Such a distribution can be obtained, approximately,
from saturation versus capillary pressure data. Based upon
the calculation of the probability of occurrence of pairs of
~ores of all possible sizes together with some otherassump-
hons, Childs and Collis-George obtained an expression for
t?e permeability of isotropic porous media. Their expres-
Slon, however, contains one parameter which has to be
deterroined experimentally from pressure drop versus flow
rate data. Although the express ion does not provide a com-
plete prediction of the permeability, it leads to a signifi-
cantly better correlation of experimental data than that
based on Kozeny's model. Subsequently, several statistical
models were proposed which approximated the pore struc-
ture with networks of capillary tubes. The models ad-
vanced by Josselin de Jong (1958) and Saffman (1960)
are based on random networks of uniforro capillary tubes
is completely
of the bed, while the other being of hydrodynamic
ture, can be calculated numerically. An approximate
alytical expression is given which allows the """,",Ul...,'Ull
of the hydrodynamic factor. This expression has
obtained by interpolation of the calculated values of
hydrodynamic factor for several characteristic unit
geometries. Experimental and theoretical friction
relations for two different packed beds were compared
found in satisfactory agreement.
The model of the void space coupled with the "UJ.UUlUlJ
of the flow through its unit cells can form the basis for
study of processes taking place in granular
packed beds, which are more influenced by the nature
the void space of the bed rather than by that of the solid
matrix. Such a process is, for example, the deep bed filtra-
tion commonly encountered in waste water and water".,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
treatment. This application is pursued in a forthcoming"·····
publication.
and were proposed for the prediction of dispersion coeffi-
cients. The model proposed by Fatt (1956) allows for the
nonuniformity of the pores and aims at the prediction of
the permeability and the relationship of saturation
capillary pressure of isotropic media. An improved
of a random network of capillary tubes was
recently by Haring and Greenkorn (1970). This model has
the attractive feature of considering randomly sized,
domry oriented pores. However, as it stands, it has a
in inconsistency when it is applied to packed beds.
a simple geometrical consideration, it can be seen that
effective diameter of the smalIest possible constriction
a packed bed of spheres is certainly larger than (2'.13/3
1) dg,min ~ 0.155 dg,min, where dg,min is the diameter
the smallest sphere of the bed. Any cylindrical pore of
model of a bed of this type should, therefore, have a
eter not smaller than 0.155 dg,min. This is not the case
their model, which as sumes that there exist
pores with diameters less than this value. Since the
ported calculated average pore diameter by Pakula
Greenkorn (1971) is, actually, slightly smaller than O.
dg,min, the aboye argument is not a minor objection.
direct consequence of this inconsistency seems to be
the calculated average pore length is only about half
average grain diameter, while it should be about equal.
Models which involve use of capillary cylindrical
are inadequate for the modeling of filtration
packed beds, since they do not account for the "" "·",,,t111'·",
of the surface of the grains, which, in this case, is
primary importance. Furthermore, such models, by
glecting the converging-diverging character of the flow,
cannot account for the establishment of inertia effects in
packed beds at values of the Reynolds number which are
at least two orders of magnitude lower than the critical
Reynolds number value in a smooth cylindrical tube.
Clearly, for the study of these phenomena in packed beds,
a model which retains the converging-diverging character
of the flow is caBed foro The work by Snyder and Stewart
(1966) pertaining to regularly packed beds of uniform
spheres, is an important contribution in this area, but un-
fortunately it has not been extended to the case when the
inertia terms are not negligible, and also it is not directly
applicable to randomly packed beds.
January, 1973

Óéscription of tha Modal
i For purposes of clarity, the definitions of certain terms
tobe used in describing the model will be stated first. The
krge cavities occupying the spaces among the grain~ .of
the packed bed will be referred to as pores; these cavlhes
are often referred to as caverns. A packed bed can be
90nsidered to be an array of pores, each of which is con-
nected with its neighboring pores through narrow chan-
neIs which are called constrictions. The walls of these
gonstrictions do not possess axial symmetry, but, for sim-
plicity, it is assumed that they do. Accordingly, each con-
.slriction can be characterized by the diameter of its most
narrow cross section. Let the minimum diameter of such
a. constriction be denoted by de; de is clearly a random
variable and its probability distribution function will be
.referred to as the constriction size distribution CSD. It
will also be assumed that each pore can be characterized
by a single characteristic length, the effective pore diame-
~er denoted by dp. The pore diameter is also a random
variable with a certain distribution, which will be referred
ito as the pore size distribution PSD. The laUer term has
a different meaning here from what is conventionally un-
derstood. In the main body of Hterature deaHng with
(capillaric models the term pore size distribution is synony-
\mous with the distribution of the diameters of the concep-
tual capillary tubes. To avoid confusion, we will refer to
/ of the laUer type as capillary pore size dis-
. CPSD.
The model is formulated on the foIlowing basis. Let 1 be
length defined so that a cubic volume element of the
with side equal to NI contains a number of grains
""'''''''''''' tends to N3 as N becomes very large. 1 is called the
/le;nl!l:h of periodicity and is of the order of magnitude of
effective diameter of a grain of average volume. Con-
a partition of the packed bed in layers of thickness
layers are statistically identical with each other.
\<'1'h.,,..,f,n.... one can study the entire bed in terms of a
::,lilll/!,le layer of thickness l. A layer of packed bed of thick-
1 represents a unit bed element UBE. The determina-
of 1, as well as the determination of other pertinent
"',',, ...IU~Ll1LJlll"':". will be given in the next section.
Since the main How in a packed bed is, generally, in the
direction, the How from any pore to neighboring ones
the same elevation (assuming that the How direction is
is expected to be relatively unimportant.1/I Accord-
the existence of all constrictions connecting pores
same elevation will be ignored. We will Hmit our
considelration to constrictions connecting pores at different
Since for a randomly packed bed the size of a
:::,:""',i".... ~..·;"t·;n... is independent of its orientation, it follows
UN'T BED
Vs P
L ELEMENl
-------------------- -----. -----------------
Fig. 1. Schemotic representotion of o unit bed element.
o This statement, of course, is incorrect if the main interest is to
study the radial dispersion.
Page 60 January, 1973
1 < - - - - - d¡ - - - - > 1
d¡
I
h¡
r
•
1<------ d ¡ ---->l~
1 1
J<-~---- d - · - - - - - > I
Ca) eb)
Fig. 2. (o). Dimensionol unit cell of the ¡th type; (b). Dimensionless
unit cell (some for unit cells of 011 types).
that the effective diameters of constrictions connecting
pores at different elevations obey the same distribution
as the effective diameters of the entire constriction popula-
tion. Let N e be the number of constrictions per unit area
of any cross section of the bed. It will be assumed that all
constrictions within a UBE He on the míddle plane (see
Figure 1), and each constriction connects two haH-pores.
A pair of half-pores connected through a constriction con-
stitutes a únit cell UC. There are Nc unit cells per unit
area of UBE. Each UC resembles a piece of constricted
tube. t The unit cells are not, in general, equal to each
other. It will be assumed that there are exactly Ir. different
types of unit cells. Let ni be the number fraction of unit
cells of the ith type. It follows that there are DiNe unit
cells of the ith type per unit area of UBE. Consider a single
unit cell of the ith type, as shown in Figure 2a. Each cell
has, by assumption, axial symmetry. It is also assumed that
the plane perpendicular to the axis at the center of the unit
cell is aplane of symmetry. The wall is assumed to be a
parabola of revolution. The geometry of each cell is, there-
fore, uniquely determined by three dimensions, namely the
constriction diameter di, the maximum diameter lli, and
the height h¡. The height of a unit celI should be about
equal to the length of a curve which connects the centers
of the two pores considered, passes through the center of
the connecting constriction, and remains as far as possible
from the wall at all elevations. Since in real beds a pore
does not usually He directly aboye or below one of its
neighbors the length of this curve is somewhat greater.
or at least equal, to the elevation difference between the
centers of the two pores. Therefore, h¡ is not necessarily
less than or equal to the length of periodicity l. For SOrne
of the unit cell types it will be hi :::;;: 1 and for sorne hi > l.
The following major assumptions will be made:
lit = Cldt i = 1, ... , le (1)
and
i = 1, ... , le (2)
where Cl and C2 are constants to be determined. These as-
sumptions have been based on the following reasoning. In
a bed of randomly packed grains, on the average, large
constrictions are forrned among grains which are large
and/or loosely packed. It follows that pores adjacent to
large constrictions should be expected to be also large.
t The idea of using eonstricted tubes for modeling of porous media
is not a new one. Petersen (1958). and Houpeurt (1959) have already
coined this idea although they did not offer a method for the determina-
tíon of the geometry of these tubes or the solution of the flow through
them.
A similar argument leads to the inclusion that pores ad-
jacent to small constrictions should be expected to be
small.
Undoubtedly, assumptions besides those expressed by
Equations (1) and (2) can be made on equally plausible
grounds. However, Equations (1) and (2), aside from
their simplicity, possess a salutary feature. Although unit
cells of different types are unequal, unit cells of different
types are geometrically similar. As a result, unit cells of
all le different types can be reduced to be identical on
a dimensionless basis (Figure 2b).
Based on the above description of the model, it follows
that the geometry of each UBE is completely known if
l, {di, ni; i = 1, ... , le}, Ch C2, and N c are determined.
DETERMINATION OF 1, {dini; ; = 1, .•., le},
Ch C2AND N e
In order to determine the various pertinent quantities
involved in the model, the following experimental informa-
tion must be available: sieve analysis of the grains or
equivalent information, macroscopic porosity of the bed,
and saturation versus capillary pressure data, particularly
the initiaI drainage curve.
Determination of I
The length of periodicity can be determined from the
requirement that a cube of side 1 contains, on the average,
one grain of average volume; therefore,
l. l.
(1-e)l3= ¡ Vj(Vg)j = ¡;=1 covj(dg) j3
;=1
or
1 = [ (1 Co- e) <dg3>
]1/3
where 19 is the number of different sizes of grains of the
packed bed, Vj is the number fraction of grains with ef-
fective diameter (dg );, (Vg)j is the volume of a grain with
effective diameter (dg ) j, and Co is a constant which arises
from the assumption that
(Vg)j
--::-:-- -
(dg )j3 -
C
o
i = 1, ... , 19
Assuming spherical grains, Equation (3) takes the form
1= [ '1T <di> ]1/3
6(1 - e)
Determination of the CSD, that is, {di, ni; ; = 1, ••• , le}
The constriction size distribution is to be determined
from the saturation versus capilIary pressure curve which
has been used to obtain capilIary pore size distributions by
previous investigators (Childs and CoIlis-George, 1950;
and for extensive reviews of subsequent work, DuIlien
and Batra, 1970; Morrow, 1970). Several experimental
procedures can be used to obtain saturation versus capil-
lary pressure data. The one adopted in this work was
developed by Haines (1930) and is welI suited for packed
beds of grains with size less than 1 mm. The principIe
on which this method is based is as follows: if a certain
suction is applied on the water phase in a layer of a porous
medium initialIy saturated with water and having one
surface open to the air, the interface between water and air
recedes to a certain extent into the porous layer. The phe-
nomenon of water withdrawal from pores has been de-
scribed by Childs (1969) and by Morrow (1970). The
suction required to empty a pore depends on the size and
shape of the largest of its constrictions at which the water-
AIChE Journal (Vol. 19, No. 1)
air interface exists.
The volume collected under a certain suction is
to the number of pores which are accessible through
strictions of size greater than a certain value. Hence,
possible to quantify the number of constrictions of a
size. Some of the previous investigations have
saturation-capilIary pressure data for the estimation
CPSD's. In doing so, an assumption relating the dialm~~ter
of the conceptual cylindrical pore to the size of the
constriction of the corresponding real (
pore is required. This has been recognized
(1969). The assumption that is commonly is
the diameter of each cylindrical pore of the model is
portional to the effective diameter of the largest
tion of the corresponding real pore. In the present
the concept of cylindrical pores is not used. Instead,
initial drainage curve is used to determine the CSD.
Consider a typical initial drainage curve where
abscissa is p. -1 = (pgh.) -1 and the ordinate is the
tion S. Let {Si-1/2; i = 1, ... , le, le + 1} be a partition
the region [Swi, 1], and let {Pi=~/2; i = 1, ... , le, le +
be the corresponding values of p.-l. le is the number
different constriction diameters to be considered and
be chosen arbitrarily as long as the value chosen is
enough for the required accuracy.
The effective diameter of a constriction COlTe!¡ponding
to a certain suction p. is obtained from
de = 4'Y12COS Oe
p.
where 'Y12 is the water-air surface tension, and Oc is
contact angle. The contact angle for a wetting
(3) fluid is zero; it is not zero for an advancing fluid, even
wetting one. This can be deduced from the resuIts of
and Heins (1962). They found that while a receding
of a wetting fluid is zero (or near-zero), advancing
depend on the rate of advancement and increase with
increase of the interface velocity. Since the value of
less ambiguous during drainage, the use of the
drainage curve for the calculation of CSD's is nro~tprrp,rl:
Imbibition curves should not be used in view
(4)
biguity of the value of the contad angle during ''''''""r.".,~,.:
mento The secondary or subsequent drainage curves
not be used also if they do not coincide with the
curve. Such discrepancies would indicate the .,nt-,.".,.......On1:',
(5) of air bubbles in the pores of the sample during the
imbibition. For the initial drainage curve, Oc ::::: O,
Equation (6) becomes
de::::: 4'Y12
p.
Let
di = ~ (di- + d +
2
1/ 2 i 1 / 2 ) ::::: 2'Y12 ( _1_ + _1_)
Pi-1/2 Pi + 1/2
i = 1, ... , l, -:.:.:
It remains to determine the number fraction of constric"
tions with effective diameter between d i - 1I2 and di+ 1/2,
that is, approximately equal to di for i = 1, ... , le.
In order to accomplish this, certain assumptions wilI be
made. Let the effective volume of a pore V pe be defined as
the total volume of the pore minus the volume of those
parts of the pore which remain occupied by pendular
water at atmospheric pressure and the temperature of the
experimento These parts are occupied by virtualIy stagnant
liquid even at high flow rates through the main pore vol-
ume. It wilI be assumed that the effective diameter of a
January, 1973
 is related to its effective volume in the same way as
effective grain diameter to the volume of the grain."
. This assumption together with the assumption expressed
by Equation (4) gives
g
(V pe )¡ (V ); _ Co i = 1, ... , lp; i = 1, ... , 19
(d p)¡3 (d g );3-
As mentioned earlier dp is a random variable. The pore
size distribution PSD, however, is not known. It is con-
. ceivable that for certain types of porous media, such as
porous rocks, catalyst pellets, etc., there is no correlation
between the effective diameter of a pore and the effective
diameter of its largest constriction. However, for randomly
packed beds of monosized, or nearly monosized, grains
• •·one would expect that these two random variables are re-
. . lated in sorne manner. It will be assumed that
(dp)¡ = c3c4 i = 1, " ., le; lp = le
one oE the latter pores is finally emptied, the pore with
large constrictions connected to it is also been emptied at
that time, resulting in an inflation of the measurement cor-
responding to the smaller constriction being investigated
at the time.
Equation (12), subject to the postulated assumptions,
provides a means of estimating the CSD from the initial
(9) drainage curve.
Determinotion of Cl ond C2
For the deterroination of the dimensions of a unit cell,
it is assumed that
ll¡ = (dp)¡ i = 1, ... , lp; lp = le (13)
that is, the maximum diameter of a unit cell is equal to
the effective diameter of the pores involved [based on
Equation (10) the two haH-pores comprising a unit cell
belong to pores of equal effective diameters]. Equation~
(10) ( 1), (10), and (13) give CI = C3 and, therefore,

where Ca is a constant. The justification for this assump- a¡= (dp)¡=c l d¡=cac4 i= 1, ... ,le (14)
<tion is the same as that used in connection with Equations In order to determine values for the constants CI and C2
•.. (1) and (2). Then, one has the following constraints are imposed:
V t (Si+1/2 - S¡-1/2) = (J~N¡) (V pe )¡ = (ilN¡) Co (dp)¡a le
(11) e(l - Sw¡) la = ¡ ni(Vpe )¡ (15)
where ilN¡ is the total number of pores the largest con- i=l
and
strictions of which have values within the interval [di - I / 2, le lo
d i + 1I2 ]. The left-hand side of Equation (11) represents
the volume of liquid collected experimentally when the
<h> == ¡ nih¡ = ¡ v;(dg ); == <dg > (16)
¡=1 ;=1
suction pressure is increased from Pi+1/2 to Pi-I/2, while
<... the right-hand side represents the total effective volume Equation (15) is a simple effective void volume balance.
. •••.. of pores from which this amount of liquid is withdrawn. The constraint expressed by Equation (16) requires sorne
UUsing Equation (11) and invoking the assumption ex- elaboration. As was mentioned earlier, h¡ is allowed to be
\pressed by Equation (10), one obtains larger than, equal to, or smaller than l. On the average,
one expects h¡ to be approximately equal to the diameter
il N i of the grains which forro the wall of the unit cell. Since
(.n¡ (d¡) == _le__ _ _
both the grain diameterand the height of the unit cell are
¡ ilN¡ random variables, the constraint is expressed in terms of
the respective means. Cl can be obtained by combining
¡=1
Equations (3), (9), (14), and (15):
(Si+l/2 - Si-l/2) le (Si+l/2:;; S¡-1/2) ]-1
d¡3 [
~ . Cl = [
e(l - Sw¡)
(1 - e)
(17)

i=l, ... ,le (12)

Equations (2) and (16) give
twhere n¡(c4) is the number fraction of pores each of which >
UU.has at least one constriction with effective diameter from C2 = <d
<de>
g
(18)
iihe interval [d¡-1/2, di+I/2], or approximately equal to di,
i? ¡md the rest constrictions with diameters less than di. It Equations (1) and (17) give
Uwill be assumed that n¡(di ) is also the number fraction of
}<constrictions with effective diameters equal to di. This as- a¡ =[ 3
e(l - Sw¡) <dg > ]1/3 d¡ i = 1, ... , le
}.sumption is a fairly reasonable one, but one should be (1 - e) <de3 >
áware of the fact that it is only roughly valid and that it is (19)
>more biased in the region of small diameter values, since Equations (2) and (18) give
r smaller constrictions are, in general, more likely to escape g
. . . . . detection during the saturation versus capillary pressure h¡ = <d > d¡ i = 1, ... , le
. experiment than are large constrictions. This nonuniform <de>
bias is due to the fact that if a water-air interface exists
at a number of constrictions of a pore, it is always the Determinotion of N e
. interface at the largest of these constrictions that gives in The determination of the number of constrictions per
first under increasing suction values. However, this bias unit cross section of the bed is made as follows. Consider
is cancelled, to a certain extent, from the presence of pores an array of randomly packed spheres the diameters of
which would regularly be emptied under a certain suction which have a certain frequency distribution function. Con- ..
value, but which are surrounded exclusively by pores that sider further aplane cutting through this array. The orien- ¡¡ii
can only be emptied at considerably higher suctions. When tation of this plane is of no consequence due to the as-
sumption of complete randomness of packing. This plane
cuts through a number of spheres, which results in the
.. This assumption is akin to Rumpf's conception of a packed bed
as a mixture of solid and void grains (mentioned by Debbas and Rumpf. formation of a number of circles on the planeo Wicksell
1966). (1925) determined theoretically the frequency distribution

Page 62 January, 1973

\;~~~~¡~~<~i~~:~¡:!~it::~jt~~~~;~ir~¡~t~~~~i~h:;~~~ featureis in view the
the solution of the How problem through each unit cell
quency distribution function of the diameters of the ran-
domly packed spheres. His results can be utilized to de- only be carried out with numerical methods.
termine N e, if, for this purpose, one assumes that the pores
of randomly packed beds of grains form a random array of APPLlCATION OF THE MODEL: FLOW THROUGH
spheres. Let fp (d p ) be the frequency distribution function PACKED BEDS
of the diameters of the pores and fpe ( d pe ) the frequency The ultimate objective of this work is the formulation
distribution function of the diameters of the circles on any a model of granular randomly packed beds suitable for
section planeo Wicksell's result can be written as description of deep bed filtration. Before this can be

fpe(dpe) = <dpdpe> i(dp)m.,.

d
pe
fp(x) (x 2 - dpe2) -1/2 dx
complished, the How information through the bed
on the postulated model needs to be obtained.
(21) more, as a first step in model validation, the calculated
data should be in good agreement with experimental
Consider aplane cutting through the array of pores which sults.
is normal to the axis of the packed bed. Assuming that In accordance with the proposed model, the nr'>~~ll1rp
each circle appearing on this plane corresponds to a unit drop along the various unit cells in a given unit
cell, in other words, assuming that the number of circles ment should be the same. The How rates of different
per unit area of plane is equal to N e, it follows from a void cells will, of course, be different and the total How
volume balance that through all the N e cells in a unit cross section is
cally equal to the superficial velocity. The How through
f(dv)m.,. '1r
Ne Jo '4 y2 fpe(y) dy = e(1 - Swi) (22) individual unit cell is governed by the N avier-Stokes
tion, appropriately simplified. The solution is onh>;n,,'rl
under the assumption of two dimensional, steady state,
Substituting fpe from Equation (21) into Equation (22), compressible How. The inertia terms are not
one obtains Since the partial differential equation is of the elliptic
4E(1 - SWi) <dp> boundary conditions at the inlet and outlet of the unit
Ne = -------~-_...:.-_-=-------- need to be specified. For this reason, it is assumed
_ fo(dv)m.,. fy(dp)ma:<
.. Jfi J" " fp(x) (X2 - y2) -1/2 dx dy each unit cell is attached to two tubes both of which
semi-infinite in length and are formed by the repetition
the cell under consideration. All the dimensional unit
6E(1 - Swi) <dp>
(23) are reduced to a single dimensionless periodicalIy
'1r <dp3> stricted tube, Figure 3, and the How problem to be
Equation (23) was obtained for a continuous frequency is the steady state, fully developed How through this
at various Reynolds numbers. The mathematical
distribution function for the effective pore diameter. It is
tion of the problem and the numerical algorithm
obvious that the same result also holds for discrete distri-
was developed for its solution are given in a cOlnpaniion
butions. Equation (23) relates N e to the pore size distri-
bution. Using Equations (14) and (17), N e can be fur- paper (Payatakes, Tien, and Turian, 1972).
ther related to the constriction size distribution as shown Let tlP be the common pressure drop along each
cell of a given unit bed elemento The pressure
in the following section.
along the packed bed, according to the postulated
SlImmary of Relations-Dimensionless Unit Cell
It is expedient to consider the unit cells in dimensionless
form. The following dimensionless quantities are intro-
duced: DIMENSIONLESS
o iZi;1O d, l,O hi • UNIT CELL
ai = =-h' =- z= 1, ... ,le (24)
~_ *_-------+_i,
l . ' Ui 'ti
'ti i hi
Using Equations (14), (19), (20), (23), and (24), one ,_______ a
, I
obtains I
:
I
:
hi O = 1 i = 1, ... , le (25) 1 :
, I
, I
: :
d t.O -
- --=--
<de> -= dO -- const. . - 1, ... , 1e
Z- (26) I
,
I
I
,I
<dg > : d+ :
E(l - Swi)
!
,
:
I

a·t O -- [ ,,I ''

I
(1 - E) : !
I I

i = 1, .. . ,le (27) ! :
: ¡
L_____ +--_ _ _ a*'------4-------J
_6_E..:..(1_-_S_w_i)_<_de;...>_ [ (1 - E) <de3> ]2/3
Nc =
'1r <de3 > e( 1 - Swi) <di>
i=l, ... ,le (28)
with hi given by Equation (20), 1 given by Equation (5)
and the means <de> and <de3> based on the CSD given
by Equation (12). It is worth noting that in dimensionless
form all unit cells of a given granular randomly packed Fig. 3. Extended dimensionless unit cell (some
bed are, according to the postulated model, identical. This for unit cells of 011 types).

January, 1913
 '.0 '.0
f:.P Il. The friction factor of packed beds is defined by
0.9 0.9

<do> AP (29) 0.8

Z
o 0.8
f. = - 2plvs2
GLASS $PHERES
~
u
Z 0.7
0.7
(d.) = 470 ~
~
the superadal Reynolds number by 0.6
Z
~
0.6
• =0.401 Z
~
_ <do> v. (30) 0.5
..."
~
0.5

.
~

(NRe ) s - e
0.4
-t 0.4
JI
"e
~ ~

a ~

0.3 b
We seek the relationship which gives fB as a function of ~
0.3 Q

>(N Re ) •• For a given toP, let qi be the How rate through 0.2
~
0.2

.... unit cell of the ith type. qi 01= qj for i 01= i· Let 0.1 -- O.,
Swi
4q,
(vo),=-~
'trd,2
i = 1, ... , le (31) 0.0
o 200 400 600
0.0
o 200 400 600

4K 12 / ' 5 , l' de , l'

1.0 1.0

(N
Re
), = h¡{vo), i = 1, ... , le (32) O., O.,

JI
0.8 0.8
z
( vo) i is the characteristic velocity, and (NRe) i the 0.7 ~ 0.7
Kp.·vn(IIC1~ number for each unit cell of the ith type. Let
~
SANO 20x30 u
0.6 z 0.6
Z (d.) =71.
O
~
:
- • = 0.47
!!.P,O = toP i = 1, ... , le (33) ~

..
e
0.5
z
0.5

P{VO)i2 0.4 -t ~ 0.4

the dimensionless pressure drop along a unit cell of

"
~

e
0.3
e
.."
~

0.3
d
ith Although all unit cells reduce to the. same 0.2
~

¡¡ 0.2
Ull.l1"'J""""'Ul"''''' unit cell, and the pressure drop toP 1S the .,;
for all cells, the dimensionless pressure drop along O., u O.,

of different types is diflerent. The solution of the 0.0 0.0

400 600 O 200 400 600
....,.nhll.,..... of How through the dimensionless unit cell de-
O 200

on the geometry of the cell and on the Reynolds 4·'2/" , l' . de , l'
·• ____ 1'- __ For laminar How one can obtain (see Payatakes,

and Turian, 1972) the dimensionless pressure drop Fig. 4. Saturation-capillary pressure data and corresponding caleu-
lated constriction size distributions.
a function of the Reynolds number and the geometry,
AP/~ = tiJo [(NRe)i; aO, dO] i = 1, ... , le (34)
> relation ( 34 ) is available, one can calculate the and dO in the range 0.733 ::=::. aO ::=::. 1 and 0.250 ::=::. dO ~
i< . factor as a function of (NRe). even for high val- 0.600 using KO = 1/36. This range should suffice for most
)< of (NRe)., where the inertia terms are appreciable, packed beds composed of grains which are used in prac-
.</. interpolation. tice.
•.•.•••.••••. the Reynolds number is sufficiently low, Equation These results have been interpolated in order to obtain
\. 34) has the simple form the following approximate analytical expression for toP lO:
tiJo(l; aO, dO) _ toPIO -toPIO = Ao(aO) + AI(aO) dO
(NRe)i - (NRe)i
(35)
+ A2 (aO) d0 2 + A3{aO) d0 3 (38)
where
(36) Ao(aO) = 502.669 - 108.497ao - 57.730a0 2 (39)
toP I O == tiJo(1; aO, dO)
AI{aO) = -914.276 - 1670.718ao + 1391.069ao 2
this case, f. is given by (40)
f. = _ [ 2 <de> <do> ] (37) A 2 (aO) = 260.109 + 5328.505a° - 3772.042a0 2
N e 'trl <de3 > (41)
•• • • • • • • • • •. . • the aboye expression 1 is given by Equation (5), dO is A3(aO) = 599.147 - 4749.109ao + 3130.690ao 2
\\ '. by Equ&.tion (26), aO is given by Equation (27), (42)
) . e is given by Equation (28), and <de> and <de >
3

)should be calculated based on the CSD as given by Equa-
.•••••••••••..•. . tion (12). Equation (37) gives the friction factor of a
) packed bed as a function of (NRe). and two factors, one
........ . of which is completely determined from geometric charac-
teristics of the bed. The other toP lO is the dimensionless
pressure drop per unit dimensionless length along a peri-
odically constricted tube which is formed by the repetition
of a dimensionless unit cell with height equal to unity,
constriction diameter dO, maximum diameter aO, and wall
which is a parabola of revolution, at N Re = 1. This quan-
tity can be calculated numerically. This calculation has
been carried out for several representative values of aO
Page 64 January, 1973
In the .regi~n of validity of Equation (37), that is, as long
as the mertIa terms of the Nav1er-Stokes equation are negli-
gibly small, the How rate through a unit cell of the ith
type for a given value of v. is given by
v sd;3
COMPARISON WITH EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The modeling method developed in the preceding sec-
tions is applied here to two diflerent randomly packed
AIChE Journal eVol. 19, No. 1)
 and compared with the corresponding eXJ)erim4Emtal
data. One is composed of glass beads with nominal diame-
ter of 470fL and has porosity of 0.401. The other is com- The work was performed under Grant No. 3378452,
posed of sand 20 X 30 grains and has porosity of 0.47. York State Science and Technology Foundation, and Grant No.
GK-33976, National Science Foundation.
Saturation versus capillary pressure data were obtained for
both beds. These data together with the calculated CSD's NOTATION
are given in Figure 4. Based on this information one can
Ac cross section area of the bed
obtain the values summarized in Table 1. The experimen-
Ao(a"), A 1 (a"), A 2 (a"), Aa(a") = interpolating
tal and the calculated relationship between f s and (N Re) s nomials
are given in Figure 5 for the bed of glass spheres and in ai maximum diameter of a unit cell of the ith
Figure 6 for the bed of sand. As can be seen, the model type
developed in this work gives a correct prediction of the a" maximum diameter of the dimensionless unit
effect of the inertia terms on the friction factor. This cell
effect is detectable even at (NRe)s < 5 and increases ai" rumensionless maximum diameter of a unit
rapidly with (N Re) s' The calculated friction factor values cell of the ith type
are within + 12% in the case of the bed of sand and -4% co, Ch C2, Ca = constants related to the geometry of the
in the case of the bed of glass spheres. porous medium

1000 r---~--------------------------------,
1000r---~,,-,,---------------------------------¡

""
500 """
EXPERIMENTAL
500
" " " / MODEL
,
MO OEL -----'~~

EX PERI" EN TAL """'" "'"

""""'"
100 GLASS SPHERES
SAND 20x30
<d.> = 470!-l E = 00401 100
<~,) = 714 jJ dE.= 0.47 """
0'*= 0.807 d*=0.377
a = 0.860 =0.364 ",
e = 44 9 fJ Nc = 41 8 cm.-2 e = 7 11 fJ Ne = 17 1 e .....-2 """"
50
50

0.5 1.0 5 10 0.5 1.0

(d.) v,
eN' e ),= --,,--
Fil!. 5. Experimental ond theoreticol relotion between friction factor Fig. 6. Experimental ond theoreticol relotion between friction
ond superficial Reynolds number for a bed of spheres. ond superficial Reynolds number tor a bed of sand groins.

TABLE 1. ApPLlCATION OF THE MODEL

Quantity Glass Beads Sand

0.401 0.47
<dg >, cm 0.0470 0.0714
<dg3 >, cma 0.1038 X lO-a 0.3640 X lO-a
SWi 0.111 0.127
<de>, cm 0.0177 0.0260
<dc3 >, cma 6.272 X 10- 6 21.429 X 10- 6
Cl 2.141 2.363
C2 2.652 2.747
ho 1.0 1.0
a" 0.807 0.860
do 0.377 0.364
l,cm 0.0449 0.0711
N e , cm- 2 418.0 171.0
APtO [Eq. (38)] -101.06 -100.94
APIO [ direct cale.; ,," = 3~ ] -100.7 -101.1
fs' (NRe)s for (NRe)s <5 454.0 460.0

A.eChE Journal (Vol. 19, No. 1) January, 1973

de == effective constriction diameter
d == effective grain diameter
{(d g
) j; i == 1, ... , 19} == set of different effective diame-
ters of grains present in the bed
d g.min == diameter of the smallest sphere in a bed of
spheres
di == constriction diameter of a unit cell of the ith
type
{d i - 1I2 ; i == 1, ., .,le + 1} == constriction diameters cor-
. responding to the set of suction values
{Pi-1I2; i = 1, ... , le + 1}
dp == effective pore diameter
=
{ (d p) i; i == 1, ... , lp} set of different effective diame-
ters of pores present in the bed
(dp) max = maximum value of d p
dO = constriction diameter of the dimensionless
unit cell
dimensionless constriction diameter of a cell
of the ith type
frequency distribution function of the effec-
tive pore diameter
fpe(d pe )= frequency distribution function of the diam-
eters of the circular traces on aplane cutting
through a random array of spheres
== friction factor of a packed bed
fs
g == constant of gravitational acceleration
height of a unit cell of the ith type
hi
== elevation difference between the free water
hs
surface and the packed layer in the saturation
versus capillary pressure experiment
= dimensionless height of a unit cell of the ith
type
number of different types of unit cells
number of different sizes of grains composing
the bed
= number of different sizes of pores
i, i indices
l length of periodicity of the bed
number of constrictions per unit area of a bed
cross section; also, number of unit cells per
unit area of a unit bed element
superficial Reynolds number
Reynolds number characterizing the flow
through a unit cell of the ith type
number fraction of pores, the largest con-
strictions of which have values within the
interval [d i- 1I2 , di+1/2]; also, byassumption,
the number fraction of unit cells of the ith
type
ps suction applied to the liquid phase in the
saturation versus capillary pressure experi-
{Pi-1/2; i =
ment
=
1, ... , le + 1} set of arbitrarily chosen
values of suction covering the entire region
of interest of the initial drainage curve dia-
gram
Q flow rate through the bed
qi flow rate through a unit cell of the ith type
S = saturation
SWi irreducible saturation
{Si-1I2; i = 1, ... , le + 1} = set of saturation values cor-
responding to the set of suction values
=
{Pi-1/2; i 1, " ., le + 1}
== volume of a grain with effective diameter
(d g ) j .
effective volume of a pore with effective
diameter (dp) j
total volume of liquid initially present in the
sample in the saturation versus capillary pres-
Page 66 January, 1973
sure experiment
Os superficial velocity = Q/ Ae
(vo) i characteristic velocity for a unit cell of the
ith type
Greek Letters
1'12 water-air surface tension
ANi total number of pores the largest constrictions
of which have values within the interval
[di -l/ 2' di+1/2]
pressure drop along a unit cell for a given
value of V s
dimensionless pressure drop along a unit cell
of the ith type for a given value of V s
AP10 dimensionless pressure drop per segment of a
periodically constricted tube with maximum
diameter equal to a", minimum diameter
equal to d", and walls which are parabolae
of revolution, at N Re = 1
macroscopic porosity of the bed
contact angle
network increment used for the numerical
solution of the flow
v kinematic viscosity
Vj number fraction of grains with effective diam-
eter (dg ) j
p density of liquid
<Po formal function
LlTERATURE CITED
Childs, E. C., "An Introduction to the Physical Basis of Soil
Water Phenomena", pp. 115-152, Wiley, London (1969).
- - - . , and N. Collis-Ceorge, "The Permeability of Porous
Materials," Prac. Roy. Soc., A201, 392 (1950).
Debbas, S., and H. Rumpf, HOn the Randomness of Beds~.
Packed with Spheres or Irregular Shaped Particles," Chem.
Eng. Sci., 21, 583 (1966).
Dullien, F. A. L., and V. K. Batra, "Determination of the I!
I
Structure of Porous Media," Ind. Eng. Chem. 62 25 (1970). .)
::~~~~~f.S7¿~t~&~!'~~;;}~~~~:~~;d~;
Haines, W. B., "Studies in the Physical Properties of Soil. Part"·
Cyllnd"," I
H;Íit1r~r~~~;!!ir ~:l;:;· lo Amy' of
Ha*~~~\M~di:~d!thAN~~~:~f~~~'~~~e;,;,a~s:~~1 ~~~~, ~7~ ·.:' I~;:.¡j
'.• .
Houpeurt, A., "Sur l'Écoulement des Caz dans les Milieux
Poreux," Rev. Inst. Fr. Petrole Ann. Combusto Liquides 14
Jos~!~~ ~~9r;2g, C., ·'Longitudinal and Transverse Diffusi~n i~1111
?{~5~~~r Deposits," Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 39, 67 : . "
:~~~~~~~~t1F§j2~~~i~~1];
\,¡. :,I:.:I,I
. . :...:I,I
. :.... .
:::,I.,.:
...
:
Payatakes, A. C., "A New Model for Randomly Packed Beds
of Crains. Application to Filtration through Packed Beds,"
Ph.D. Dissertation, Syracuse Univ., New York (1972). i
- - - . , Chi Tien, and R. M. Turian, "A New Model for ::.• .•
Granular Porous Media. Part n. Numerical Solution of Steady:.::
State Incompressible Newtonian Flow through Periodically}
Constricted Tubes," AIChE J., 18, 67 (1972). U
Pe:~~d~,n4,E3~'( ~~~:).sion in a Pore of Varying Cross Section," ••.1.•
Rose, W., and R. W. Heins, "Moving Interfaces and Contact::::
Ra~Dependen:;;hc:::::; :::: ~1::2~o. 1>.1
Anglo
, ·,···:,····.>1